Gas-engine with combined apparatus.



W. HEGKERT.

GAS ENGINE WITH COMBINED APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0014,1906.

Patented Apr. 27, 1909,

43 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

van-box W. HEGKERT.

GAS- ENGINE WITH COMBINED APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 0013.4, 1906.

920,056. Pat nted Apr. 27, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1U Nll'lllll) STATES PATENT @FFKQE.

wllrllldlil llltOlili-lt'l, Ol FINDLAY, OIllO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO.l. .T. DUFFORD, O1 l\l'I\\' (l-Asllrll, PENNSYLVANIA, ONE-SIXTH T l'l lINRY QW. SENEY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, Jul) UN l'l-SlXlll 'lO lilAltGAltl llhNAll, Oi FINDLAY, Ollll).

GAS-ENGINE WITH COMBINED APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 27, 1909.

Application filed October 4, 1906. Serial No. 337,398.

' 5 of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements-inGas-Engines with Cornbined Apparatus; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of theiniientionpsuclr' as will lp'enable others skilled in the art to whichit ap ertains to make and use the same.

like object of my invention is to provide aniinproved type of motor, ofhigh power and efficiency, adapted for heavy work,

either heating or power purposes, such as steam-heating,electric-lighting, pumping, locomotive, rolling-mill and steamshippropelling.-

More especially, my invention seeks to improve the construction andincrease the efiiciency of operation of combined as and steam-engineshaving an associated boiler, and in which the heat derived from thecombustion in the gas-engine is utilized for firing the boiler, forgenerating steam, for

running the steain-engine or for other purposes. v

A second object of my invention is to provide a supplemental firingmeans, independout of that afforded by the gas-engine, for

internally firing the boiler and generating steam}, to be used eitherindependently of or conjunctively with the gas-engine as a heating orfirin agency; and, further, to $5 fully utilize the heat from bothsources'in a most economical and ellcctive manner.

Another object is to utilize the supplemental firing agency as ameansfor starting the gas-engine, thereby obviating the difli- 40'culty,hitherto incident to gas-engines or combined gas and stealnsengines, ofrequiring some exterior force to start them, and thus making the engineapplicable to all kinds of heavy Work, the same as the present steam-oliine.

Stillia iurther objeetis to provide, in conjunction with thesupplenicntal firingagency,

a gasp1"'oducing means for producing the combustible fuel forthe'supplernental firing agency, as wella's for the gas-engine, or

for other additional purposes if desired; and,

moreover, to obtain the production of gas from coal as well as othergasiiiable material, thereby avoiding the restrictions to the use of oilas fuel.

For attaining these objects, together with such additional objects asare incidental to or included in the foregoing, a complete heat andpower apparatus embodying all my 1111- provcments, comprises, in themain, first, a boiler in association with a combined gas and steamengine ofthe ty'Jc known as the trimotor (see my U. Patents Nos. 708,637and 764,808, dated Sept. 9, 1902,

and July 12, 1904) wherein agas-engine,

strain-engine and boiler are united in one cylinder, the piston beingpropelled in opposite directions by the action of explosive gases on theone side and by the action of steam on the other side, and the cylinderbeing surrounded by a water-clnnnber constituting a jacket for the gasend of the cylinder and also serving as the boiler for generating steamto supply the steam end of the cylinder. In this case, the waterchamberor jacket surrounding the engine cylinder constitutes a part of or is incommunication with the main boiler; and, in addition to heating thewater in said chamber or jacket by t 10 heat of the explosions orconibustions in the gas side of the enginecylinder, the hot exhaustgases are conve cd off through a plurality of lines extending throughthe main boiler, so that the gasengine practically constitutes a furnacefor firing the boiler. Other Sllillltll,ll1l63, extending through theboiler are in connnunication with a supplemental tiring orcombustion-chambcr, which is substantially surrounded by or incloscd inthe boiler. In said firing or combustion-chamber, a suitable burner orburners is or are provided for delivering thcreinto gas, oil, or otherilnid conilmstiblc, which on boing'ignitod likewise supplies hot gasesfor liring the boiler, as an independent agency from that allordcd bythe gas-enginc. Through said supple mental iiring or combustion-chamberex tends a pipe or conduit, whose inlet end re ceives coal or othergasifiable substance,

y while its outlet end is in communication with pt-ure of gas and air isperiodically admitted the gasome ter; so, that, the gasifiable ma? intothe eombustion-cliamber 8 through the terial in the conduit beingexposed to the I mixing-valve 10, the gas or fluid combustiheat of thesupplemental firing or cowhunble being injected from the injector brnoztion-chaniber, generates gas in said pipe or zle 1], controlled by avalve 12, and the air conduit for supplying the gasometer. The foradmixture therewith being taken through gasometer, or the pipe orconduit, leading suitable openings in the casing or chamber thereto, maybe in communication with the i of the said mixing-valve 10. Asunderstood, gas-engine and with the burners in the supi an explosivecharge or admixture is'admitted plemental 'liring-chamber, so as tosupply to the colnbustion-chamber by the valve 10 the fluid combustibleto both places; while during a reverse or down stroke of the piston, thegas may also be supplied elsewhere for T compressed on thefore ard orupward stroke, other uses if needed... The boiler has a surand ignitedor exploded at the proper time mounting steam-dome from which steam- 1by means of any suitable igniter, thusforcpipes convey the steam forutilization. One log back or propelling the piston on the steam-pipeextends to the steam side of the second down stroke, uhile on the nextuptrimotoi, or combined gals and steam en- \aard stroke the expandedgases and prodgine, for supplying the same with steam for nets ofcombustion are exhausted through propelling the piston; and thus makespro- Q the exhaust valve 13. Said exhaust valve vision for starting themotor prior to the 13 is opened at the proper period by means startingofthe gas-engine, since the steam of a tappet or presser-arm 14 causedto press generated in the boiler by firing with the (l()\-\l1 thevalve-stem by the periodic action supplemental firing device may be usedfor i of a cam 15 ona roller-bearing arm 16 atthat purpose. Anothersteam-pipe leads tached to the shaft or axis of said tappet; to theaforesaid conduit which carries the i the cam 15 being aflixed on avertical shaft gasiiiable sul'istanre through the supple- Q 17 gearedwith the crank-shaft to turn at a mental firing-chamber, whereby thecoal or 2 speed of one rotation to every two revoluapparatus, taken online l-1 of Fig. 2.

other gasi'iiable substance is forced by a, steam-jet through saidconduit.

Reference will now be had to the accomi panying drawings, whichconstitute a part of this specification, and wherein is illus-;

trated o'ne practicable form of apparatus embodying my invention; itbeing understood however that the invention is susceptible of otherembodiments and various changes in design, arrangement of parts, anddetails; so that I do not confine myself to this or anyspecificconstruction; v

The invention will first be described with E reference to said drawings,and then more articularly pointed out and defined in the appendedclaims.

Figure 1 is a central vertical section of the Fig. 2 is a top plan viewof the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken transverselythrough the burners of' the gas-proi ducer and firing device. i

in said drawings, 1 denotes an engine-bed having bearings for anordinary crank-shaft 2, shown provided with the fly-wheels 3. The crank4 is connected by the pitinan 5 with a piston 65, shown working in avortically-arranged cylinder 7 above the crankshaft. The piston 6ispropelled in opposite directions. by the action of explosive orcombustible gases on one side (here the upper side) and by steam uponthe opposite side.

The numeral 8 denotes the combustionchamber of the gas-engine and 9indicates the steamchamber. i

The gas-engine may be of any appropriate construction. As shown, anexplosive mixtions of the crank-shaft.

The engine-cylinder 7 has a surrounding water-jacket or casing 18,always iilled' ith water, which besides jacketing the combusthin-chamberof the gas-enginc, serves also as a steam generator, the heat beingfurnished by the explosions or combustions in the gas-engine. Saidwater-jacket i8 is interiorly in communication with and forms a part ofan upright boiler 19 in this instance the unitary casing of theengine-cylinder and its surrounding jackct'being shown.

bolted to the side of the boiler, which in turn is monn ted on theengine-bed 1. W ater is supplied to the boiler, preferably at or nearits bottom, by means of any suitable pump or'injector, not shown. Fromthe combustion-chamher of the gas-engine, the hot gases or products ofcombustion pass through the exhaust-valve 13 into a firespace or passage20, in the upper part of the boiler, and thence downeardlythrough aseries of fire-Hues or boiler-tubes 21 into a lower exhaust-passage 22.Thus the heat of the explosions and exhausted products of combustion isfully and effectively utilized, since the engine-cylinder itselfconstitutes an internal firing agency, besides which the hot exhaustgases therefrom pass at their highest temperature through the upper por-,tion of the boiler, containing the hottest water, and thence-passdownwardly at a diminishing temperature and give up their heat to thecolder w ater; In other words, the hi hest temperature of the exhaustgases is appdied to the l1ottest,water above, and

the low est temperature of'such gases to the;

coldest water in the bottom of the boiler; so

saopse that the water in ascending is continuously .3 means of saidvalve 26, steam may be Init-ted toand exhausted from the steamchamber 9;the :live steam bein supplied through the pipe 24 as aforesai anr theexhaust steam passing up through a tube 27 to the fire-space and thencedown through the tines 2'1 and out throu h the general exhaust 22. Thesteam-Va ve 26 may be of any up ropriate type or construction,'forexarnpe, a rocking or rotating valve, actuated through a. cdnnecting-rod28 by an eccentrid29 on the crank-shaft.

Referring now to the supplemental-firing and gas-producing device, awater-jacketed firing-chamber 30 is arranged at or in the upperpart ofthe boiler; its jacket 31 in this instance being shown bolted to theside of tliiboiler and having the water-space therein in communicationwith the water in the Said firing-chamber 30, shown enlargedv'n Fig. 3,is provided with two or more hydrocarbon burners 32, each having anair-- supply pipe 33 and a gas or oil-supply pipe 34. As usual in suchburners, the gas or oil is discharged through a nozzle extending throughthe air-chamber of the burner, the supply of gas or oil being regulatedby a needle-valve 35. The said burners 32 can be lighted through anopening 36 in the firingchamber, said opening being closed by adetachable-screw-cap. 'Thehot productsof combust-ion pass from theiiring-chamber 30 into the fire-space or passage 37, which is shownin-line with the before--mentioned fire-space .20, and separatedtl'ierefrom by a partition .38. From the fire-space 37, the hot productsof combustion pass downwardly through a series of fire-fines orboiler-tubes 39 to the gen era-l exhaust 22 at the bottom of the boiler.Thus the heat from the supplemental firing-devioe is utilized in thesame perfect and-effective manner already explained with reference tothe heat from the products of combustionof the gas-en ine. As to therespective numbers of the boiler-tubes 21 and 39, a desirablearrangement would be twentyfour tubes 21 for the hot gases from thegas-enginc,. and twelve tubes 39 for the hot "gases from thesupplemental firing-chamber although of course the respective numbers ofsuch tubes maybe various.

I A pipe 40 extends vertically through the centerof thefiringwhamberih),in the focus of the heat of the said two or more hydrocarbon: burners32. At the upper end of said pipe 40, n bove the chamber 30, isa'liopper 41 :for renewing-pulverized or ground coal crude oil, or othergasifiabie material. From the steam-dome 23 extends a steam s'upply pipe42, controlled by a valve 43, and having an injector or steam-jet 44arranged in the hopper 41 in such manner to force the ground coal orother material down through thopipe 40, wherein the said material issubjected to the intense heat within the firing-chamber Ill) and isthereby gasificd. A gasomctcr 45 is connected to the lower end of thepipe -10. branch pipe 46 leads therefrom to the gasfc eding device 1] atthe headof the gas-cirgine, and other branch pipes lead to thehydrocarbon burners 32; that is the f uol supply-pipes 34 ofsaid burners32 may derive their suppiyof gas from the pipe 40 or from the asometer45.

T in operation of the supplcmental-firing, gas producing andengine-starting device is as follows: Assuming a gas supply in the areopened and the gas in the firing-ch11 mber 30 is lighted through theopening In a short time the watcrin the jacket surrounding thefiring-chamber and in the upper-portion of the boiler will be heated andsteam formed at high pressure in the steam-dome 23. If gas now headmitted to the mixing-valve 10 of the gas-engine, by opening 'the valve12 of the gas-feeder or nozzle 11, and if the valve 25 of the steam-pipe24 be opened to admit steam through the valve 26 to the steam-chamber 9of the cylinder, the engine will start the same as any other steamengine, under the impulse of steam admitted through the said valve 26.At the same time, the gas end of the evlindcr will take. in

exploded in the usual way, thereby adding its impulse to the other sideof the piston, and setting the gas-engine into operation. The enginehaving now been started, its op eration will continue, the steam givingan impulse at each upward stroke of the piston and the explosion orcombustion of the gas giving an inipulsc in the opposite directioi'i atevery second down stroke of the piston or every second revolution of thecrankshaft.

if desired, the Sll])})l0lll(lltill-l lll'llOl'S 32 may now beextinguished since the gas-- engine will continue in operation, and theboiler will be fired by the heat from the gasengine and from theproducts of combustion exhausted therefrom through the lire-flue orboiler-tubes 21. Or, if preferred, the supplemental-firing agency may becontinued in operation. conjuuctively ith the firing atforded by thegas-engine, thereby increasing the capacity of the motor. As heretoforepracticed u ith the trimotor or u ith a combined gas and stcmn-cngine ofthe character disclosed herein, the waste heat from the gas end of thecylinder has caused the generation of a certain amount of steam for thesteam end of the cylinder, reaching its maximum limit hen a full chargeof mixed gas and air is consumed in the gas end of the nornbinedgasonieter 45, the valves of the burners32 and compress a charge oi gaswhich will be pipes 46 so as to supply the gas end of the supplementalfiring device.

residue of combustion usually passes away cylinder of an internalcombustion or explomotor. On the other hand, by the aid of in rsupplemental-firing device, any desired audition of steam and pressurecan be given to the steam end of such motors. It is also evident thatwhen such motors are used to heat and light buildings, the engine can bestopped at night or at any time, in gvhich case the supplemental-firingdevice will keep up steam curing the night to warm the building andstart the engine again in the morning. 7

When'it is desired to use coal as fuel, crushed or linely ground coal issupplied to the hopper 41, the burners 32 being in operation, therebyintensely heating the pipe 40. If the valve 43 now be slightly opened,the steam-injector 44 -will carry mingled steam and crushed coal intothe hot tube 40, wherein both the steam and carbon are decomposed intoearbureted hydrogen gas, which will continue in its course down into thegasomcter 45, and through the branch gas-engine u ith heated gas asiuel, and in the same. way supply the supplemental burners 32 1th heatedgas as the combustible tor the Yith present separate gas-prmlucers, the

at a high temperature, wasting a huge amount of heat, whereas, in mysupplemental-tiring and gas-producing device, after intensely heatingthe decomposing chamber, the hot gases emer into the boiler tubes 3?) incontact with the hottest water and descend-as they cool oil in Contact-with the coldest water through the general exhaust 22, thus recoveringand utilizing the heat from such gases, in the same manner that the heatis recovbred and utilized from the gasengine.

[Iaving tl'ius'described my invention, what I claim as non and desire tosecure by Letters l Patent oi the United States is l. In a gas-enginenith combined apparatus, a steam-boiler in which are inclosed, andsurrounded by the water therein, the

sion engine'and also an imlependent lirechamber, the latter havingburners or firing means therein, and separate roups of iirci Huesleading through the boiler one group from the said fire-chamber andtieother from the combustion-rhainher of the gasengine for conveying oil'the hot produets of combustion, all in a unitary structure, whereby theboiler is tired either independently or conjunctively by the gas-en incand said fire-chamber as a supplemnta means.

2.- Ina gas-engine and combined apparatus, an upright steam-boilerhaving a [irespace in its upper portion and. an exhaust space in itsbottom, iii'elluesv connecting said spaces, and an internal combustionor explo sion engine and supplemental firing device tion and a bottomexhaust passage, or boilertubes connecting said tire and.ex-'

"with hot gases.

' both inclosed and surrounded by the Water in said steam-boiler, andboth' arranged to 'disr charge their hot products of combustion intosaid upper Tire-space to descend throughsaid fines to said bottomexhaust spice.

'3. The combination of a boiler having a. steam-dome, fire-passagesin-its upper orneues haust passages, a combined gas and steam engine,the explosion-chamber of the gasa engine being inclosed in the boilerand having its exhaust opening into one of said firepassages, asupplemental firing chamber also inclosed in the boiler and opening intothe other iirciassage, a steam-valve in con-. nection with thesteam-engine, and a pipe for conducting steam thereto from said steann,dome.

4. In a gas-engine with combined apparatus, a steam-boiler in which areinclosed, and surrounded by the water therein, the cylinder of aninternal combustion or ex 10- sion engine and also sin-independenttirechamber, the latter having a burner or burners therein, fire-Huesleading through the boiler from the said firechainber and from theconibustion-ehamber of the explosion-engine for conveying off the hotproducts of combustion, and a pi e or conduit for gasifiable materialextending throu h said fire chamber, being thereby exposed to the heattherein, and leading therefrom to the'explosion-engine to supply thelatter with hot gas for explosive mixture.

5. In a gas-engine with combined apparatus, a steam-boiler in which areinclosed, and surrounded by the vvater therein, the cylinder of aninternal combustion or explosion engine and also an independentfire-chamber, the latter having a burner or burners therein, fire-tinesleading through the boiler from the said fire-chamber and from thecombus- Hon-chamber of the explosion-engine for conveying oil the hotroducts ofco nbustion, and a pipe or con uit for gasifiable Inaterialexposed to the heat in said fire-chamber and connnunicating with saidburners and with the explosion-engine, thus supplying said burners andthe explosion-engine 6. In a gas-engine with combined apparatus, asteam-boiler 1n whlch are lnclosed, and

surrounded by the water therein, the cylinder of an internal combustionor explosionen ine and also an independentfire-chamber, the atter havinga burner or burners therein,-fireilues leading through the boiler fromthe said lire-chamber and from the combustion-chaniber of theexplosion-enginefor conveying oil the hot products of combustion, and aipe or conduit for gasifiable material leading 15 irough said firechamber-and having connection with the combustion engine, said pi ebeing providedexteriorly of tho boiler Wit a hopor for feeding groundcoal or other crude In testimony whereofI afiix my signature,

us},- flfild :1 steamipe leadinig from the I in presence of'mvqwitnesses.v

boi e1- avin a nozz e arran e to in'ect a steam-jet inFo said hopper t5)force th e ma- WILLIAM HEX/KER? 5 terial through said pipe and to unitein the Witnesses: v

l0c0mp0siLi0n of the material for formation E. A. BRUCE,

of gases. JAS. M. SHEPARD.

